Oil well packer



E.D.MCFADDEN OIL WELL PACKER Feb. 25, 1936.

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OIL WELL PACKER Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED sT-ATEs PATENT oFFlclsI OIL WELL PACKER Elmer David McFadden, Harrisvllle, Pa., assigner of one-eighth to Horrise L. McFadden, Harrisville, Pa., and one-eighth to Perry R. Mc- Fadden, Grove City, Pa.

Application January 15, 1934, Serial No. '768,782

1 Claim. (Cl. 16S-12) This invention relates to well packers and has for the primary object the provision of a device of the above stated character which may be readily positioned at any desired place in a 5 well and expanded to tightly engage with the walls of the well to stop vthe flow of the well except through the means provided by the packer.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a coupling for the device which besides permitting the application of the packer to the walls of the well, permits the .removal of the pump tubing from the well and the packer without disturbing the latter from its position within the well.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. f

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustratinga packing positioned within the casing of a well.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the packer adjusted to the walls of the Well casing.

80 Figure 3 is a fragmentary -vertical sectional view showing coupling means adapted for the adjustment of the packer to the well casing and capable of permitting the packer to remain in the well casing during the removal of the pump tubing.,y

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a combined coupling element and seat of thecoupler.

Figure 5 is an end View illustrating the coupler. y

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a coupler employed for connecting and disconnecting well tubing for a well.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure '1.

Referring in detail to the drawings,-the numeral I indicates a fragmentary portion of a well casing. Positioned in said casing is a pack- `er 2 forming the subject matter of the present invention. It consists of a tubular housing 3 externally screw threaded at each end and has threaded to its lower end a stop collar .4. Threaded to the upper end of the housing 3 ing 3 to form a flanged shoulder or seat 8 en- 5 i gaged by one end of a tubular packing element 9 constructed of rubber or any other material suitable for the purpose and capable of expanding when subjected toa force. The lower end of the packing element 9 engages the flanged 10 end of a collar I0 slidable on the housing 3 and provided at its lower end with a conical-shaped outer face II engaged by the gripping ends I2 of fingers I3 mounted on a collar I4 which is slidably mounted on the housing 3 and limited 15 in an endwise movement downwardly with respect to said housing by the stop collar 4. Spring members I5 are carried bythe collar I4 to bear against the Walls of the well casing I for the purpose of placing a drag on the housing 3 to 20 retard the rotation thereof when the device is operated within the well casing. The normal position of the fingers I3 isas shown in Figure 1' and when in said position the packing element 9 is free from any force. The collar I4 25 carries pins I6 operating in bayonet slots I1 formed in the housing 3 and when the collar I4 is in its lowermost position, as shown in Figure l, the pins lie in the horizontal branches of the bayonet slots and move into the vertical 30 branches of the bayonet slots when the packer is adjusted to the well casing.

A head or coupling element I8 operates inconjunction with the coupling element 5 and has secured thereto' a perforated sleeve I9, the 35 lower end of which has threaded thereto a gland 20 which engages one section of a Well tubing indicated by thecharacter 2l. The section ZI extends upwardly through the perforated sleeve I9 and is threaded into a passageway 22 formed 40 in the head I8. This passageway also has threaded thereinto another section of the well tubing indicated by the character 23. It is to be understood that any number of well tube sections may be connected to the sections 2| 45 and 23. The head I8 has a conical seat 24 to cooperate with the conical seat 6 in establishing a leak-proof connection between the head and the coupling element 5. The upper face of the head I8 is disposed on an incline to facilitate 50 the guiding of the section 23 of the well tubing into the passageway 22. The head I8 is also provided with a passageway 24' communicative at one end with the interior of the perforated sleeve I9 while the opposite end is in com- 55 munication with a gas vent tube 2i. It is to be understood that the perforated tube I9 moves with the head I8 as well las the section 2I and the other sections that may be connected thereto.

The coupling element I has an internal shoulder 28 located intermediate the ends oi' the coupling element. Said shoulder is provided with notches 21 and grooves 28. The grooves 28 extend longitudinally of the coupling element and open outwardly through the shoulder 28 and are of such depth that their bottom walls lie in the cylindrical surface oi' the inner wall of said coupling elements. The notches 21 are of a similar y depth as the grooves 28. Ribs 28 are carried by the perforated sleeve I8, the upper ends oi which ribs are adapted to abut the shoulder 28 to prevent separation of the head I8 from the coupling element 5 and the other elements connected thereto. However, the head carrying the perforated sleeve may be turned relative to the coupling element 5 to align the ribs 28 with the grooves 28 so that said ribs 29 may pass through the grooves and permit the head to be separated from the coupling element 5 and the section 2I oi the well tubing drawn from the well and the packer, of course, it being understood that the packer has first been adjusted to the well casing,

as shown in Figure 2. To remove the packer from the well, the ribs 29 are so positioned as to iit within the notches 21 and by an upward pull on the head I8 the entire packer and associated parts may be pulled from the well. v

Shoulders or stops 29' are provided to limit the rotation of the coupling head I8 relative'to the coupling element 5 in either direction by the ribs 29 coming in contact therewith and also when the ribs 29 are in engagement with the stops 28', said ribs are in alignment with the grooves 28 so that said ribs may readily enter said grooves.

The entire unit, as shown in Figure 1, is lowered to a desired place within a well or the casing of the latter and the head Il is then rotated in a desired direction by force applied to the section 28 of the well tubing, causing the pin I8 to move out of the horizontal branch of the bayonet slot I1 into the vertical branch thereof, the casing 8 being held against rotation due to the resilient nngers I3 bearing tightly against the walls of the well casing. When the lowermost section of the well tubing rests upon the bottom of the well, the

ings and the gas may escape from the well byY way of the perforated casing I9 and vent tube 25.

'Ihe described connection between the head I8 and the coupling element i may be also employed for making pipe or tube connections, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the character 28' indicating the coupling element engaged by the head I8' to which an upper pipe section 38 is threaded. 'I'he head I8' also has threaded thereto a sleeve 8| extending downwardly through the coupling element and within tube or pipe sections 82, the upper pipe section 82 being threaded to the coupling element 28 and the latter has the internal shoulder 88, grooves 84 and notches 85. Ribs 88 are carried by the sleeve 8l. To disconnect the pipe sections 82 from the head I8', the latter is turned to align the ribs 88 with the grooves 84 so that said ribs, may pass through the grooves and bring about separation of the head I8 from the coupling element 28'. To lift the pipe section 82 by the'head I8', the latter is positioned so that the ribs 88 fit within the notches 35.

Having described the invention, I claim:

A well packer comprising a housing, an expandible packing element mounted on the housing, means for expanding the packing element against a well casing, a tubular coupling element connected to the housing, a shoulder in the coupling element provided with downwardly opening notches having spaced from the notches grooves extending throughout its entire length, a second coupling element adapted to engage the first coupling element, a sleeve located in the housing and secured to the second coupling element, ribs on the exterior of saidsleeve and adapted to engage in the notches in the shoulder for locking the coupling elements in seated engagement with each other and adapted to pass through the grooves for separating the coupling elements.

ELMER DAVID MCFADDEN. 

